BANGALORE, India — July 18, 2013 — SEMI, the global industry association serving the
manufacturing supply chain for the micro- and nano-electronics industries, is
hosting its fifth SOLARCON India, a
premier solar-focused technology and business event, from 1-3 August 2013 at
the KTPO Exhibition Complex, Bangalore. The event brings together the
entire supply chain with a focus on PV manufacturing and technology. Inaugural keynotes will be given by Dr. Harish
Hande, managing director, SELCO India and winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award,
and Prof. Pradeep Haldar, professor at the State University of New York (CNSE)
and CTO of the U.S. Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium. An
inaugural day session on “JNNSM Phase 2 (2013-2017) Policy Initiatives and
Implementation” will feature Shri Tarun Kapoor, IAS, Joint Secretary, MNRE and
Dr. Ashvini Kumar, director, Solar Energy Corporation of India.

The
associated three-day conference is themed “Balancing Energy Supply & Demand
in the Region” reflecting the need for
India’s PV deployment growth to be matched by a strong manufacturing
eco-system. Over 60 industry
experts and leaders from across the country will also address the conference
over the three days, including:

Prof. Richard Corkish, head of the school of PV and
renewable energy engineering at the University of New South Wales, Australia

Dr. Bill Tumas, from the Materials and Chemical Sciences
Directorate of the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

“I am delighted to deliver an inaugural
keynote address at SEMI’s conference in India this year, and to discuss the
importance of supply chain collaboration, common standards and technology
roadmaps, and collaborative technology development and deployment programs as
key elements in overcoming technology, manufacturing and deployment challenges,
and in achieving lower costs and spurring the transition to a low-carbon,
renewable energy world economy,” says Haldar.

The
conference will include sessions and discussions on:

Opportunities for independent power
producers under the REC mechanism

Balancing PV supply and demand in
India: Re-invigorating Indian Manufacturing

Assessing the Indian Solar Market:
Development Prospects and Problems — the Big Picture

Perspectives on building a complete
solar PV eco-system in India,an
interactive session on the second phase of the JNNSM

“Our conference theme this year
reflects SEMI’s view that PV manufacturing must complement the growth in solar
PV adoption in India,” adds Bettina Weiss, president, SEMI India. “Balancing PV
supply and demand within regions provides greater economic benefits, reduces
carbon emissions and the costs of transporting PV products, making a case for a
strong regional manufacturing industry. In the last few years, a large chunk of
solar PV installations in India have been based on components sourced from
international suppliers and at different cost points. India must not become
solely a consumer of solar technology as it has much to offer the world as a
manufacturer.”

A unique workshop on “PV Standards —
from Materials and Manufacturing to Systems” in association with the IEEE
Standards Association and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC),
will be offered, as well as a one-day tutorial on “Solar PV System Sizing” in
technical collaboration with the National Center for PV Research and Education
at IIT Bombay.

SOLARCON
India 2013 is supported by the Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers(IEEE), the Indian
Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd.
(KREDL), and the Government of Karnataka.

SOLARCON India, now in its fifth year, is the event
of choice for the solar industry in India. It brings together the entire supply
chain with a focus on PV manufacturing and technology and attracts equipment and materials
suppliers; cell and module manufacturers; balance of systems (BOS) suppliers
(inverters, batteries, tracking and mounting systems, integrators); project
developers; academia and researchers; utility-scale developers and government
agencies. SOLARCON India visitors are influential: on average, 89% of visitors are involved in the evaluation,
recommendation, and final purchasing of PV manufacturing materials, equipment,
and services and 81% of visitors are management level or above providing an
excellent platform for product announcements and launches via exhibition
presence or sponsorships with over 5,000 focused
visitors expected at the event. For more information, visit www.solarconindia.org